About Us

Our Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles

The Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education (CCCIE) is a national network of community colleges representing vastly different parts of the country. Colleges address the opportunities and challenges faced by their immigrant communities in a variety of ways. However, our member colleges share a common trait: each has demonstrated a commitment to immigrant education through their innovative programs and services for their immigrant student populations.

Mission:

CCCIE builds the capacity of community colleges to accelerate immigrant and refugee success and raises awareness of the essential role these colleges play in advancing immigrant integration in our communities.

Vision:

New Americans have full access to higher education and success in community colleges across the nation and are provided the resources to attain their educational, career, and personal goals; thus supporting high and rising wages and living standards for all Americans while strengthening U.S. competitiveness in the global economy.

Guiding Principles

Equity With Excellence: The Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education was founded on the belief that community colleges working together could do more to promote and advance immigrant education on a national scale than any one college could achieve on its own. As a network of leading colleges working to accelerate immigrant and refugee student success, CCCIE is committed to the open exchange of information and promising practices and to continuously learn how to best serve our immigrant communities. By pooling our resources and expertise, CCCIE works to achieve equal opportunity for New Americans to acquire the skills they need to thrive in a knowledge economy.

Recognition of Immigrants and Refugees as Assets: Immigrant and refugee students enhance the diversity of our campuses and contribute to our local and national economies. Given the opportunities and resources, they develop leadership and advocacy skills and often share their expertise to help one another in the classroom as peer mentors and as role models in the community. Providing access to higher education for immigrants is crucial not only for their personal success, but for the economic and cultural vibrancy of local communities and our country as well.

Commitment to Partnership: The members of CCCIE believe that the effective education and training of immigrants is a key component—indeed, a necessity—for successful immigrant integration. We also recognize that community colleges cannot advance the agenda for immigrant integration in their communities by working alone. As such, colleges thrive best when they operate as part of a broader ecosystem committed to building meaningful, multi-sector partnerships that encourage each collaborator to leverage its resources in their respective areas of expertise. Openness in strategic conversations with all stakeholders is a critical building block for strong partnerships.

Completion Based Upon Intention: We recognize that immigrants may come to community colleges for a variety of reasons–to continue their education, get a job or advance their careers, improve their English, become stronger parent advocates, prepare for citizenship, or even to become entrepreneurs. Students are best served when colleges forge targeted, “intentionally focused” academic, career, and support plans around completion that allow individuals to fulfill their intended goals.

Accountability: We believe colleges should articulate explicit, measurable goals to serve immigrant and refugee students and incorporate these as part of the college’s overall strategic plan, backed up with resources and actions on the ground to make these strategies work. CCCIE is committed to building evidence-based cultures at our colleges; improving academic, workforce, and societal outcomes for our immigrant and refugee populations, and working across silos and sectors to create shared value.